Electrical node, method for manufacturing electrical node and multilayer structure comprising electrical node

ABSTRACT

An electrical node includes a substrate for accommodating a functional element. The substrate includes a first side and an opposite second side, and hosting a number of connecting elements. The functional element includes an electronic component and conductive traces. The electrical node also includes a first material layer defining a protective covering. The first material layer defining at least a portion of the exterior surface of the nod arranged to reduce at least thermal expansion and/or mechanical deformation related stresses between one or more elements included in the node, adjacent the node and/or at least at a proximity thereto.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/245,643 filed Jan. 11, 2019, the disclosure ofthis application is expressly incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to functional, integratedassemblies such as electronic assemblies. In particular, however notexclusively, the present invention concerns electrical nodes forimplementing functionality or functionalities in such assembliesincluding e.g. a molded, optionally injection molded, material layer.

BACKGROUND

There exists a variety of different stacked assemblies and structures inthe context of electronics and electronic products. The motivationbehind the integration of electronics and related products may be asdiverse as the related use contexts. Relatively often size savings,weight savings, cost savings, or just efficient integration ofcomponents is sought for when the resulting solution ultimately exhibitsa multilayer nature. In turn, the associated use scenarios may relate toproduct packages or food casings, visual design of device housings,wearable electronics, personal electronic devices, displays, detectorsor sensors, vehicle interiors, antennae, labels, vehicle electronics,etc.

Electronics such as electronic components, ICs (integrated circuit), andconductors, may be generally provided onto a substrate element by aplurality of different techniques. For example, ready-made electronicssuch as various surface mount devices (SMD) may be mounted on asubstrate surface that ultimately forms an inner or outer interfacelayer of a multilayer structure. Additionally, technologies fallingunder the term “printed electronics” may be applied to actually produceelectronics directly and additively to the associated substrate. Theterm “printed” refers in this context to various printing techniquescapable of producing electronics/electrical elements from the printedmatter, including but not limited to screen printing, flexography, andinkjet printing, through a substantially additive printing process. Theused substrates may be flexible and printed materials organic, which ishowever, not always the case.

Furthermore, the concept of injection molded structural electronics(IMSE) involves building functional devices and parts therefor in theform of a multilayer structure, which encapsulates electronicfunctionality as seamlessly as possible. Characteristic to IMSE is alsothat the electronics is commonly manufactured into a true 3D(non-planar) form in accordance with the 3D models of the overall targetproduct, part or generally design. To achieve desired 3D layout ofelectronics on a 3D substrate and in the associated end product, theelectronics may be still provided on an initially planar substrate, suchas a film, using two dimensional (2D) methods of electronics assembly,whereupon the substrate, already accommodating the electronics, may beformed into a desired three-dimensional, i.e. 3D, shape and subjected toovermolding, for example, by suitable plastic material that covers andembeds the underlying elements such as electronics, thus protecting andpotentially hiding the elements from the environment.

In typical solutions, electrical circuits have been produced on aprinted circuit board (PCB) or a on substrate film, after which theyhave been overmolded by plastic material. Known structures and methodshave, however, some drawbacks, still depending on the associated usescenario. In order to produce an electronic assembly having one or morefunctionalities, typically rather complex electrical circuits forachieving these functionalities have to be produced on a substrate byprinting and/or utilizing SMDs, and then be overmolded by plasticmaterial.

However, in the known solutions, the implementation of complexfunctionalities may face reliability risks and assembly yield relatedissues arising from challenges in integrating very dense components andcomponents with complex geometries. Furthermore, the electronic assemblymay require, for example, the use of external control electronics whichreduces degree of integration and makes the structures less attractive.Directly integrating a possibly large number of dense components andcomponents of complex geometry onto a potentially considerable largersubstrate can be challenging and potentially very risky, as reliabilitywill often be affected by molding pressure, for instance, and theassembly yields in different production phases can be very low.Subassemblies mounted or arranged on a PCB and covered with a plasticlayer can suffer from mismatch e.g. in terms of thermal expansion, bedifficult to be overmolded due to their complex structure, and exhibitstresses in the structure which can tear the subassemblies off theirelectrical contacts. Challenges in thermal management may also generallycause issues such as overheating.

Accordingly, both direct provision of functional or specificallyelectrical elements such as related components on a larger hostsubstrate and preparation of collective subassemblies upfront forsubsequent mounting thereon have their own downsides in terms ofelectronics vulnerability, structural and installation complexity aswell as thermal management, for example, whereupon there remains roomfor improvement in terms of related improved or alternativemanufacturing techniques and resulting end structures. There is thusstill need to develop structures and methods related both to IMSEtechnology and integrated electronics in general.

SUMMARY

The objective of the present invention is to at least alleviate one ormore of the above drawbacks associated with the known solutions in thecontext of integral structures including functional elements such aselectronics and utilizing molded or cast material layers or structures.

The objective is achieved with various embodiments of a functional,preferably at least electrical, in terms of e.g. intended use (e.g. usecontext such as IMSE), included elements and/or related connectivity,node, a related multilayer structure incorporating a number of suchnodes, and a method of manufacture.

According to a first aspect, a preferably electrically functional nodeis thereby provided. The functional node, which may be realized e.g. asmountable integral (electronic) component, preferably comprises:

a substrate for accommodating at least one, optionally printed and/ormounted, functional element such as electrical element, the substratehaving a first side and an opposite second side, the substrate furtherhosting a number of connecting elements, optionally including contactpads or pins, for functionally, preferably electrically orelectromagnetically, such as inductively, capacitively, and/oroptically, connecting the at least one functional element with a circuitor other element of an external, optionally host, structure;the at least one functional element, preferably comprising at least oneelectronic component and/or a number of conductive traces connectingthereto, provided to and optionally projecting from the first side ofthe substrate; anda first material layer (preferably solidified from a flowing material orgenerally pre-solidified state) defining a protective covering at leastupon the at least one functional element, optionally essentiallyembedding the projected portion of said at least one functional elementtherewithin, if any, and preferably further upon at least a portion ofthe first side of the substrate surrounding the at least one functionalelement;wherein the first material layer comprises elastic material arranged toreduce at least thermal expansion and/or mechanical deformation relatedstresses between one or more elements included in the node, adjacent thenode and/or at least at a proximity thereto, preferably between theconnecting elements and at least one element of the external structure,such as a plastic or other material layer (e.g. wood or otherorganic/biomaterial, fabric/textile, metal) molded, cast or otherwiseproduced or provided over the node.

In various embodiments, instead of or in addition to providing afunctional such as an electrical element upon the substrate such that itsubstantially projects from the first side of the substrate, afunctional element may be provided in a recess or hole, optionallythrough-hole established in the substrate. Accordingly, the element maybe accommodated by the recess or hole of the substrate e.g. in such amanner that it (and optionally the first material layer thereon) doesnot protrude at all or at least considerably from the substrate. Atleast the extent of protrusion may be reduced e.g. in favor of reducedthickness of the concerned node in general. The element may, in anycase, be located at the recess bottom defined by the substrate material,if any, so that it extends therefrom towards the first side of thesubstrate. A smaller recess may still remain at the location of theelement, if the original one is only partially filled by the element ande.g. the covering first material layer. The substrate could thus beprovided with a substantially flush first (and/or second) surface byembedding functional element(s) therein.

In various preferred embodiments, the functional element comprises atleast one electrical, optionally specifically electronic, componentand/or a number of electrical conductors such as traces, or ‘wiring’,connecting thereto. Yet, the functional element may include e.g. asub-assembly with an own substrate (“sub-substrate”) and elements suchas electrical or specifically electronic components hosted by the(sub-)substrate.

Various embodiments of functional and especially electrical(lyfunctional) elements are also listed hereinafter.

In various embodiments, the first material layer may define at leastportion of the exterior surface of the node. However, as beingappreciated by a person skilled in the art, the first material layer maybe covered, at least in places, i.e. selectively, by further material(s)such as a selected coating or film layer, or especially uponinstallation in a host structure, e.g. on a host substrate, byoptionally thicker material layer that may be molded or cast, forinstance, over the node.

A substrate utilized in the node or in a related host structure mayrefer to a rigid or flexible substrate in which one (e.g. z, such as“thickness”) of the three dimensions is significantly shorter withrespect to the other two (e.g. x and y) dimensions, for example. Thesubstrate may, at least originally, be essentially planar or planar-likesubstrate, such as a substrate sheet or film. Yet, the substrate may atleast locally, if not generally, contain or define essentiallythree-dimensional shapes such as a protrusion or recess, curved portion,angular portion, etc., which may be due to 3D-forming such asthermoforming or cold forming of the substrate (film) depending on thesubstrate material and related compatible 3D shaping methods. Thesubstrate may indeed be of film type and/or contain e.g. thermoformableand/or thermoplastic material. Typically, the substrate is made of orprovided with electrically insulating material.

In various embodiments, the hardness of at least one material of thefirst material layer is preferably about 85 or less on Shore scale A orabout 40 or less on Shore scale D.

In various embodiments, the modulus of elasticity of at least onematerial of the first material layer is preferably about 2000 MPA orless, more preferably about 500 MPA or less, and most preferably about100 MPA or less.

Accordingly, relatively soft material (low(er) hardness and/or low(er)modulus of elasticity) could be applied as at least one component of thefirst material layer (e.g. base or filler) if not constituting itsubstantially fully.

In various embodiments, the first material layer is adherent to apreferably flowable/flowing and further preferably thereaftersolidified, preferably plastic, material that is subsequently providedin contact with the first material layer and optionally selected fromthe group consisting of: thermoplastic material, polymeric or alikematerial, lignin or alike material, TPU, polymer, elastomeric material,PC, PMMA, ABS, PET, PA (polyamide), GPPS, PCPA (pentachlorophenylacrylate), cellulose based thermoplastic material, and MS resin. Theplastic material may be molded or cast, for instance, upon the firstmaterial layer and the node in general.

In various embodiments the first material layer is adherent to materialthat is subsequently provided in contact with the first material layerand optionally selected from the group consisting of: metal, wood, solidwood, veneer, plywood, bark, tree bark, birch bark, cork, leather,fabric or textile, natural leather, natural textile or fabric material,textile material, cotton, wool, linen, silk, formable material,thermoformable material, cold-formable material, epoxy, multi-componentepoxy, ink, and conductive ink.

In various embodiments, the first material layer is selected and/orprocessed so as to be adherent to a material of the substrate and/or ofsaid at least one functional or specifically, electrical element, theconcerned material preferably comprising at least one material selectedfrom the group consisting of: polymer, conductive polymer, thermoplasticmaterial, organic material, elastomeric material, electricallyinsulating material, PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate), Poly Carbonate(PC), polyimide, a copolymer of Methyl Methacrylate and Styrene (MSresin), glass, organic material, fibrous material, PolyethyleneTerephthalate (PET), metal, wood, solid wood, veneer, plywood, bark,tree bark, birch bark, cork, (natural) leather, (natural) textile orfabric material, textile material, cotton, wool, linen, silk, formablematerial, thermoformable material, cold-formable material, gold, copper,tin, silver, palladium, solder resist, thermally curable solder resist,UV curable solder resist, epoxy, lignin or alike material, cellulosebased material, multi-component epoxy, ink, and conductive ink.

In various embodiments, the first material layer comprises or consistsof material associated with a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)falling in a range between about 1 and 300 ppm/K, more preferablybetween about 10 and 200 ppm/K, and most preferably between about 25 and80 ppm/K. Thermal expansion characteristics such as coefficients ofcertain materials may vary considerably depending on the temperature,which shall be acknowledged by a person skilled in the art whileconsidering the applicability of various materials in terms of suchcharacteristics and in the light of probable temperatures the concernedmaterial is eventually subjected to when the associated node is in useor storage, for example. Similar considerations apply to materialelasticity.

In various embodiments, the first material layer comprises compositematerial and/or a number of fillers in a host material, the firstmaterial layer optionally comprising or consisting of multiplesub-layers, and/or said first material layer comprises mutuallydifferent constitutions of material, preferably organized in sub-layers,having characterizing functional properties such as refractive indexesor other optical characteristics to establish a selected opticalfunctionality.

In various embodiments, the first material comprises or essentiallyconsists of thermally conductive material, said thermally conductivematerial being optionally provided in the form of one or more fillers. Afiller material could be mixed, e.g. as particles, with other,potentially dominant material(s) of the first material.

In various embodiments, the first material layer comprises oressentially consists of optically, having regard to selected wavelengthsoptionally including visible light, essentially transparent and/orcolorless material that is substantially preferably chemically inert todiscoloration when exposed to heat or high-energy photons. Thematerial(s) of the first material layer may additionally oralternatively have various other desired characteristics, either locallyor generally, in terms of e.g. electrical conductivity(conductive/insulating, whereupon desired electrically conductivefeatures such as conductors or shields for e.g. the embeddedelectronics, or insulating features could be implemented therefrom,considering e.g. metal materials such as silver or copper).

Yet, in some embodiments the material of the first material layer couldbe used for photon downor upconversion. The material could be at leastlocally luminescent. It could be then applied as a scintillator excitedby radiation, for example. Accordingly, e.g. a radiation detector couldbe manufactured. Still, the first material layer could be configured andused for dissipation or amplification of electromagnetic field, thermalconduction or insulation, and/or light diffusion (or alternative lightcontrol) among other options.

The first material layer may comprise e.g. base (host) material andfiller(s) to achieve the desired functionalities. In variousembodiments, the substrate comprises at least one element selected fromthe group consisting of: planar piece of substrate material, printedcircuit board, rigid printed circuit board, flexible printed circuitboard, FR4 based circuit board, ceramic electrical substrate (e.g. HTCCor LTCC; that is, high or low temperature cofired ceramic), multilayercircuit board, 3D-formed such as thermoformed substrate, additivelymanufactured (3D printed) single or multilayer circuit board, additivelymanufactured circuit board comprising both electrically insulating andconductive material, multilayer substrate, film substrate, flexible filmsubstrate, 3D-formed substrate, thermoformed substrate, moldedsubstrate, injection molded substrate, extruded substrate,thermoformable substrate, thermoplastic substrate, polymer substrate,printed film substrate and patterned conductive polymer substrate.

In various embodiments, the node may comprise or at least thermally ifnot physically couple to a thermal management element, optionallycooling or heating element, further optionally comprising at least oneelement selected from the group consisting of: a heat sink, a thermalslug, and a thermal well.

In various embodiments, the first material layer defines, generallyconcerning the first material layer or the node as a whole, or locallyin one or more places, essentially at least one shape, such as across-sectional shape, selected from the group consisting of: rectangle,trapezoid, frustum, isosceles trapezoid, isosceles trapezoid withshorter base facing the substrate film, isosceles trapezoid with longerbase facing the substrate film, rounded shape, rounded rectangle,rounded isosceles trapezoid, triangle, rounded triangle, semicircle,dome, convex, bell-shape, mushroom-shape, conical, semi-ellipse, anddroplet or column shape.

In various embodiments, the at least one functional or specifically e.g.at least partially electrical element comprises at least one elementselected from the group consisting of: electronic component, integratedcircuit, electromechanical component, active component, passive,component, electrical conductor, printed electrical conductor, printedelectronics-produced electrical conductor, electrode, contact pad,conductor trace, electro-optical (or optoelectronic) component,radiation-emitting component, light-emitting component, LED(light-emitting diode), OLED (organic LED), side-shooting LED or otherlight source, top-shooting LED or other light source, bottom-shootingLED or other light source, radiation detecting component,light-detecting or light-sensitive component, photodiode,phototransistor, photovoltaic device, sensor, micromechanical component,switch, touch switch, touch panel, proximity switch, touch sensor,atmospheric sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, moisturesensor, gas sensor, proximity sensor, capacitive switch, capacitivesensor, projected capacitive sensor or switch, single-electrodecapacitive switch or sensor, capacitive button, multi-electrodecapacitive switch or sensor, self-capacitance sensor, mutual capacitivesensor, inductive sensor, sensor electrode, microelectromechanical(MEMS) component, UI element, user input element, vibration element,sound producing element, communication element, transmitter, receiver,transceiver, antenna, resonator, wireless communication element,wireless tag, radio tag, tag reader, data processing element, datastorage or memory element, and electronic sub-assembly.

In various embodiments, the node may comprise a second substrate on aside of the first material layer that is opposite to a side facing thesubstrate and at least one functional such as electrical elementthereon, wherein the second substrate is optionally configured forattaching the electrical node to a host structure or specifically hostsubstrate thereof. Accordingly, the (first) substrate and the secondsubstrate may establish a stacked structure having e.g. electronics andat least portion of the first material therebetween.

Yet, a multilayer structure may be provided, comprising

an embodiment of at least one electrical node as described herein;

e.g. a molded or cast material layer at least partially covering said atleast one electrical node and preferably (at least a portion of) apossible host structure, preferably comprising at least a hostsubstrate, accommodating the electrical node, the material layer andoptionally a number of further elements, such as thermal managementelements, conductors, optical elements, and/or electronic components,thereon, wherein the first side or the opposite second side of thesubstrate of the electrical node optionally faces towards the possiblehost substrate.

According to a further aspect, a method for manufacturing a preferablyelectrically functional structure comprising an integrated, preferablyelectrically functional node, comprises:

obtaining a substrate hosting at least one, optionally printed and/ormounted, functional such as electrical element optionally so that itprojects from a first side of the substrate, said substrate having thefirst side and an opposite second side, and provided with, e.g. thereinand/or thereon, a number of connecting elements, optionally includingcontact pads or pins, for functionally, preferably electrically orelectromagnetically connecting the at least one functional element witha circuit of an external structure; andproviding a solidifiable first material layer in a pre-solidified stateupon the at least one functional element, preferably essentiallyembedding the projected portion, if any, of said at least one functionalelement therewithin, and preferably further upon at least a portion ofthe first side of the substrate surrounding the at least one functionalelement to establish the integrated electrical node comprising saidsubstrate, said at least one functional element and said first materiallayer that subsequent to solidification, optionally incorporatingthermal and/or pressure curing, defines a protective covering;wherein the first material layer, including its solidified state,comprises elastic material arranged to reduce at least thermal expansionrelated stresses between one or more elements included in the node,adjacent the node and/or at least at a proximity thereto, preferablybetween the connecting elements and at least one element of the externalstructure, such as a plastic layer molded or cast over the node; andoptionally further wherein a second substrate is provided to a side ofthe first material layer that is substantially opposite to a side facingtowards the substrate.

For example, a film-like and/or receptacle type mold, preferably beingreusable or disposable, is utilized to accommodate and shape thematerial of the first material layer during solidification, wherein themold optionally comprises at least one element selected from the groupconsisting of: metal, plastic, fibrous, wood, textile or fabric, lignin,ceramic and sacrificial material. In some embodiments, at least portionsuch as a layer of the mold could establish a portion of a finished nodeas well, e.g. a (protective) layer thereon.

In various embodiments, instead of or in addition to arranging afunctional such as an electrical element upon the substrate such that itsubstantially projects from the first side of the substrate, afunctional element may be provided in a recess, blind-hole (substratematerial removed) or a through-hole established in the substrate. Arecess may be obtained by forming such as thermoforming of the substrateeither upfront or subsequent to the provision of the functional elementthereon, for example, so that a recess shape is defined by thesubstrate. A hole may be obtained by removing substrate material ordirectly establishing the substrate from a concerned source material (bymolding, for example) so as to the define the hole, for instance.Accordingly, the element may be accommodated by the recess or hole ofthe substrate in such a manner that it does not protrude at all or atleast considerably or fully from the substrate. A smaller recess maystill remain at the location of the element, partially filled by theelement and e.g. the first material layer. The substrate may be providedwith a flush first surface by embedding the functional element(s)therein.

In various embodiments, material of the first material layer may beapplied, optionally by curtain coating, onto the substrate and thenshaped according to selected target shape of the electrical node andrelated protective covering, optionally utilizing a roller or plate typemold.

In various embodiments, material of the first material layer may beprovided in a flowable form onto the at least one functional element andthe substrate, whereupon the material is at least partially let tonaturally, without substantial active effort, or guidedly (e.g. curingof light-curable material by light) establish its final shape definingthe protective covering according to at least flow properties thereof.

In various embodiments, material of the first material layer may be atleast partially provided in a flowable form onto the at least onefunctional element and the substrate, wherein the substrate has beenpre-prepared with at least one, permanent or temporary, guidingstructure, optionally comprising a frame, to controllably limit materialflow on the substrate and define the shape of the protective covering.

In various embodiments, the method comprises attaching the electricalnode to a host structure, optionally upon a host substrate of the hoststructure, and providing or specifically, producing, optionally throughmolding or casting, e.g. a plastic layer upon the electrical node.

Different embodiments and related characteristics of the node discussedherein may be flexibly and selectively applied, mutatis mutandis, todesired embodiments of a related method of manufacture, and vice versaas being appreciated by a person skilled in the art.

In various embodiments, the first material layer may thus be of orcomprise elastic material(s), such as elastomer or polyurethane, oralike materials or materials based thereon, which material(s) used mayfurther be e.g. thermoplastic. For example, the material of the firstmaterial layer may comprise at least one resin or alike material,preferably selected from the group consisting of: plastic resin,polyurethane resin, acrylic resin, silicone resin, epoxy resin, siloxaneresin, resin provided with at least one filler, and alike material. Abase (host) material and/or a filler may be provided to achieve selectedfunctionalities, which in the case of filler(s) may go beyond thatprovided by the resin (base) itself. Such functionalities may includee.g. dissipation or amplification of electromagnetic field, thermalconductivity or insulation, photon energy down- or upconversion,scintillation, electrical conductivity or insulation, and/or lightdiffusion among other options.

In various embodiments, the electrical node may comprise at least twosubstrates as already alluded to above.

At least one substrate hosts a number of functional such as electricalelements but there may several such substrates in the node.

At least one substrate may in addition to or instead of hosting elementssuch as electronics or thermal management elements, be configured forattaching the node to a host structure such as a host substrate. For thepurpose the associated contact surface of the attaching substrate may beprovided with one or more connecting or specifically attaching elementssuch as adhesive.

As mentioned hereinbefore, the electrical node preferably comprises atleast one contact or connecting element at least functionally such aselectrically or electromagnetically connected to the at least onefunctional element, wherein the at least one contact or connectingelement is further configured for arranging functional, preferablyelectrical or electromagnetic connection, such as galvanic, capacitive,inductive, or optical connection, into the node and e.g. said at leastone functional element, typically from the environment and/or exteriorof the node (e.g. from the host structure/substrate, external system,related circuit(s) and electronics, etc.). The connection may be fordata or information such as control data/information transfer, and/orpower transfer, for example.

In various embodiments, the at least one connecting element may bearranged at least at a peripheral portion of the first material layerfor providing the aforementioned functional such as electrical orelectromagnetic connection into the node, such as via galvanic,capacitive, inductive, or optical coupling element or elements. Aconnecting element could be additionally or alternatively provided toreside or extend within the substrate, through the substrate, along thesubstrate surface and/or within the first (fill) material upon thesubstrate surface, for example.

In various embodiments, the connecting element may comprise at least oneelectrical or electromagnetic element such as a contact pin, pad,conductor, wireless connecting feature such as a loop or coil,(electronic) component such as a transceiver, transmitter, receiver,etc. The connecting element may comprise joint or dedicated elements,and e.g. one or more intermediate portions or features, for connectingto the functional element(s) of the node and to the external circuit ofthe host structure or other external system. In some embodiments, theconnecting element may be at least partly physically integrated withsome other element such as the functional, or specifically electricalelement of the node (e.g. integrated circuit).

In various embodiments, the electrical node may comprise a secondmaterial layer arranged on the at least one functional element forreducing e.g. air pockets between the at least one functional elementand the first material layer.

In various embodiments, the electrical node may intentionally comprisean air pocket within the first material layer e.g. in connection with acertain type of (electrical) element included. The air pocket orgenerally gas pocket may contain any one or more gases, such as air orinert gas(es), for instance. According to an embodiment, the pocket maybe utilized to enable the operation of e.g. a microelectromechanicalsystem (MEMS) element, such as a switch, which requires that there issome free space or volume for a part of the element to sufficientlymove, for instance, to operate duly.

In various embodiments, the node, or an embodiment of a multilayerstructure or assembly comprising at least one node (described in moredetail hereinlater), further comprises at least one thermal managementelement, for cooling or heating purpose, for instance, such as at leastone element selected from the group consisting of: a heat sink, athermal slug, and a thermal well. The thermal management element may bearranged completely within the first material layer, or partlywithin/outside it, for example. It may be hosted by any of thesubstrates of the node, for instance. In some embodiments, the thermalmanagement element may be arranged through at least one substrate and/orfirst material layer of the node via a suitable cut or a through-hole,for instance.

In various embodiments, element(s) such as thermal and/or electricalconductors, contacts or connectors, as a part of, connected or integralwith the thermal management element, may comprise material having highthermal conductivity, such as of thick copper conductors.

In various embodiments, the thermal management element or elements, suchas heat pipes, may be arranged in connection with one or more otherfeatures of the node, such as e.g. electrical connector or contact, tooptionally operate e.g. as a heat sink or to conduct heat into or out ofthe node.

In various embodiments of e.g. the assembly or multilayer structure, atleast one thermal management element may be located essentially outsidethe node, optionally integral or connected with an element such aselectronic component, considering e.g. high-power LEDs prone to(over)heating in certain circumstances. A thermal management element maybe a substantially monolithic element, multi-part element (the parts maybe removably or fixedly connected), and/or integral with some otherelement(s), such as a connector or functional element.

In various embodiments, the thermal management element may be configuredto at least thermally, if not e.g. physically and/or electrically, toconnect or contact the node, a feature such as a functional element,fill, substrate, conductor, contact and/or connector thereof, otherelement outside the node, and/or e.g. (electronic) component of themultilayer structure or assembly including at least one node. Theassociated thermal connection may be convection, conduction and/orradiation based, for instance.

According to one aspect, an electrical node assembly, such as a strip orsheet, comprising a plurality of electrical nodes arranged e.g. in amatrix, row or other desired constellation, may be provided. The stripor sheet may comprise a first substrate film that hosts the nodes. Itmay optionally define e.g. a dedicated or shared cavity for each node.The assembly may be at least partially covered by e.g. molded or castmaterial layer and thus translated into an embodiment of a multilayerstructure.

The present invention provides different advantages over a great varietyof known solutions, naturally depending on each particular embodimentthereof. It generally reduces the complexity of selectively andeffectively integrating and sealing various functionalities includingelectrical features such as circuits forming e.g. switch-mode powersupplies or dense-pitch microcontrollers or generally integratedcircuits, among other options, together and into assemblies ormultilayer structures of desired configuration. In many cases the amountand size of required wiring, contacts or connectors, materials, processsteps and/or other elements may be hugely reduced in contrast to priorart. The number of functionalities that can be easily embedded in anelectrical node according to the present invention may greatly enhancevalue gained from implementing the structure and its functionalitieswith IMSE instead of using any of the available traditionaltechnologies.

The fill (first) material in which the electrical features such aselectronic components or essentially sub-assemblies (a sub-assembly mayalready comprise e.g. a printed circuit board (PCB) or other(sub-)substrate and a number of elements such as traces and/orcomponents such as printed and/or mounted (electronic) componentsthereon) are at least partly embedded in the node, can be selectedsuitably in terms of e.g. elasticity so that it besides protecting theembedded features chemically or mechanically from external shocks orprovision of overcast or molded layers, for example, further evens oute.g. thermal expansion related mismatches and induced stresses betweendifferent elements within the node, adjacent the node or at least at aproximity thereto. Yet, the fill material preferably reduces mechanicaldeformation related strain in the structure.

Accordingly, components and traces among other embedded features remainundamaged in their intended positions even if the node or a greatermultilayer structure comprising e.g. multiple nodes is subjected tovarying conditions and/or internal features thereof such as electronicsgenerate heat that could otherwise lead to thermal expansion relatedproblems such as breakage, detachment or mutual dealignment of at leastsome of the features. Preferred material may have substantially rubberyconsistency in its finished, solidified state, for example. Yet, thematerial advantageously provides good adhesion to neighboring materialsof e.g. functional such as electrical elements, molded or cast layers,substrates, etc. Still, the material may be e.g. thermally conductive orbe supplemented with such filler or other thermal management features todesired extent to further facilitate thermal management of integratedelectronics. By inclusion of thermal management elements in the nodes,assemblies or multilayer structures as discussed herein many potentialthermal management related issues such as overheating of electroniccomponents may be reduced or avoided.

Still further, the material may be provided in substantially opaque orclear (optically transparent or at least translucent having regard toselected wavelengths such as the ones of e.g. embedded light source(s)such as LED, light detector and/or visible light) construction, whichfacilitates establishing e.g. optically functional features such aswaveguides, lenses, diffractors, collimators, reflectors, and maskstherefrom. Further, the material may be selected such that it retainsits color/does not easily discolor due to exposure e.g. heat (e.g. 120degrees Celsius could be considered sufficient) and/or high-energyphotons such as blue and/or UV light. The material may in someembodiments be of composite type and the constituent materials, e.g.base and one or more fillers, can be provided in desired constructions,defining different shapes such as planar layers, rounded shapes, channelor tunnel forms, etc. Even further, the material may have desiredelectrical and/or electromagnetic properties in terms of conductivityand insulation capability, and or the material may be e.g. luminescentas discussed hereinelsewhere.

The electrical node generally has a structure that can be optimized forefficiency, low electromagnetic interference (EMI) or other parameters,for instance. For example, a switch-mode circuitry can be tailored tomeet emission limits with greatly reduced risk for failing results inelectromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests. From a software developingperspective, the effort required to implement IMSE structures can alsobe greatly reduced, as pre-selected and pre-manufactured electricalnodes will have known structure and known, well tested functionalitiesin contrast to solutions that have to be designed from scratch eachtime. Providing drivers with the possibility to auto-generate drivercode based on pre-configurable functionality models can enableimplementing the functionalities.

Finally, the electrical node approach enables using a much greaterproportion of currently available electrical components: most of the newcomponents released to the market are packaged in very dense, tinypackages with potentially very high power density that are challengingto directly integrate in IMSE structures due to physical limitations:print resolution, adhesive spreading and splatter, reliable filling andexclusion of air, for example. For a designer not intimately familiarwith the challenges in directly embedding complex circuitry and manycomponents in plastic, the electrical node approach is significantlysafer way to integrate the desired functionalities into a component-likeentity.

Various other advantages will become clear to a skilled person based onthe following detailed description.

The expression “a number of” may herein refer to any positive integerstarting from one (1).

The expression “a plurality of” may refer to any positive integerstarting from two (2), respectively.

The terms “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth” are herein used todistinguish one element from other element(s), and not to speciallyprioritize or order them, if not otherwise explicitly stated.

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention presented herein arenot to be interpreted to pose limitations to the applicability of theappended claims. The verb “to comprise” is used herein as an openlimitation that does not exclude the existence of also un-recitedfeatures. The features recited in various embodiments and e.g. dependentclaims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitlystated.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the presentinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Thepresent invention itself, however, both as to its construction and itsmethod of operation, together with additional objectives and advantagesthereof, will be best understood from the following description ofspecific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Some embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, andnot by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate schematically electrical nodes according to fewembodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate schematically electrical nodes according tofurther embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates schematically embodiments of an assembly and asub-assembly utilizable in connection with an electrical node accordingto the present invention.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate schematically multilayer structuresaccording to respective embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to an embodimentof the present invention for manufacturing an electrical node or arelated assembly or multilayer structure.

FIG. 10 illustrate various potential stages of manufacturing anelectrical node according to an embodiment of the present inventiongenerally utilizing a mold.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a manufacturing method inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a further embodiment of a manufacturing method inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates still a further embodiment of a manufacturing methodin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates additional embodiments of an electrical node andrelated potential manufacturing methods.

FIG. 15 illustrates potential provision of recesses or holes in asubstrate for accommodating functional elements of the nodes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments of electrical nodes, related further assemblies,multilayer structures and methods of manufacture are described below, tobe optionally flexibly and/or selectively combined by a person skilledin the art upon need to come up with new embodiments best suitable foreach concerned use scenario.

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically an electrical node 100 according to anembodiment of the present invention. The illustration could beconsidered to represent e.g. a cross-sectional view of the node 100, ora side view when containing essentially optically clear (transparent orat most slightly translucent) fill material.

The electrical node 100 in FIG. 1 comprises at least one substrate 20,e.g. a film or a rigid PCB (printed circuit board) type substrate asdiscussed hereinbefore. There could be several substrates 20 included inthe node 100, positioned e.g. mutually parallel and/or on differentlevels (depths/heights) within the node 100. The broken line 101illustrates a hypothetical target surface such as a surface of a hostsubstrate on a host device or other host structure whereto the node 100is ultimately provided upon installation. A substrate 20 may beessentially planar or contain at least local 3D shapes such as one ormore protrusions (e.g. dome shapes), recesses (e.g. receptacle shapes),curved shapes, angular shapes, etc., optionally obtained by 3D formingsuch as thermoforming of a substrate film either prior to or subsequentto provision of further elements such as one or more elements 12, 14thereto.

In any case, the node 100 may include a substrate 20 that besidesfacing, is configured to directly contact a host surface uponinstallation in a host structure. Alternatively or additionally, thenode 100 may include a more remote or more deeply embedded substrate 20,depicted in FIG. 1 using a rectangle drawn with broken lines, which ispositioned farther away from the intended contact surface or interfacewith the host structure 101 (in the illustration this type of substrate20 is positioned closer to the top surface of the node 100 if not evendefining at least a portion of such top surface or generally a surfacethat is remote if not essentially most remote surface from the host101).

A substrate 20 may accommodate or host a number of different, preferablyfunctional, elements such as electrical elements e.g. on at least firstside thereof, which in this context refers to e.g. electrical,electro-optical, electromechanical or specifically electronic components12 and/or conductors 14 such as traces, or ‘wiring’, and/or contact padsfor electrically connecting components together according to a selectedcircuit layout or circuit design, for instance. Also the opposite secondside may contain a number of electrical elements 12, 14 and/or otherelements generally discussed herein, and/or be utilized for definingexterior surface of the node 100, which may optionally be furtherutilized for attaching the node 100 to a host.

Yet, a number of connecting elements 16 for functionally, preferablyelectrically, such as galvanically, and/or electromagnetically, e.g.inductively, capacitively or optically using e.g. light, coupling thenode 100 and one or more electrical elements therein to an externalelectrical circuit such as a circuit of a host structure may be providedin the node 100. Thus, both wired and wireless connecting technology maybe applied.

Item 35 refers to a number of potential thermal management elements thatmay be provided (mounted or printed, for example) within, adjacent orfarther away from the node 100. Reference numeral 25 in turn indicates anumber of potential further elements that could be included in the node100, with reference to e.g. one or more graphical or optical elementssuch as light directing, blocking or processing elements (e.g.light-conveying element/lightguide, reflector, mask, collimator,diffuser, lens etc.). The further elements 25 could include ready-madeelements or printable elements using e.g. clear or colored ink, forexample. In some embodiments, various elements such as any ofaforementioned elements could be at least partially provided to thesubstrate 20 using also selected subtractive technique(s) in addition toor instead of other techniques such as printing and/or mounting.

In more detail, the node 100 may generally comprise a number of thermalmanagement features or elements such as a heat sink for cooling the node100, particularly any of electrical elements 12, thereof. The heat sinkand/or other thermal management or specifically heat exchangingfeature(s) may be embedded e.g. into the first material layer 30 and/orprovided at least partly outside of the node 100 (utilizing e.g. avia/hole provided in the exterior optionally prior to or subsequent toe.g. provision of cover plastics thereon using e.g. molding) in order toprovide cooling, for instance. Generally, a thermal management elementor feature may have a high thermal conductivity and e.g. heatdissipation properties, provided by the included material(s),dimensions, shape and/or (surface) area thereof. The material(s) mayinclude many metals (e.g. copper, silver, aluminium) and their alloys inaddition to or instead of e.g. thermally conductive polymers, pastes,molded material(s), for instance. In some embodiments, a thermalmanagement element that is essentially a thermal insulator, may beutilized in addition to or instead of thermal conductors.

A thermal management element 35 may advantageously be configured todistribute, convey or spread thermal energy/heat within and/or outsidethe node 100. Thermal energy or heat may be conveyed to a selected orwhole area of the node 100, and then outside the node 100, for example,through internal substrate 20 or a host substrate, therefore, yieldinge.g. more efficient cooling of the node 100 with respect to providingcooling at a single point. This may be particularly beneficial if thenode 100 comprises compact high-power components, such as high-powerLEDs or LED drivers, in order to avoid hotspots.

In various embodiments, the thermal conductivity of such thermalmanagement element 35, or at least a part of it, may preferably be atleast 2 W/mK, or preferably at least 10 W/mK, or more preferably atleast 50 W/mK, or most preferably at least 100 W/mK. As beingappreciated by a person skilled in the art, various materials having alower thermal conductivity may be considered as thermal insulatorswhereas materials associated with a higher thermal conductivity may begenerally more effectively utilized as thermal conductors e.g. forcooling/heat transfer purposes. The desired thermal conductivity may beobtained by suitable material selection of the thermal managementelement 35, for instance. In some embodiments, plastic material havingthermal conductivity at least 10 W/mK may be utilized. In variousembodiments, metal material, such as copper, aluminium, zinc, ortin-silver-copper (SnAgCu) composition, such as Sn—Ag3.5-Cu9.0, may beutilized in the thermal management element 35 or at least in partthereof. Thermal conductivities of various such metals are of the orderof at least about 60 W/mK. Thus, quite many metals offer a betterthermal conductivity than typical plastic materials, which may beexploited in various embodiments of the present invention for thermalmanagement.

In various embodiments, the thermal management element 35, such as athermal well, a thermal slug or a thermal pad, may be implemented atleast partly by e.g. a lead frame, such as comprising of copper orcopper alloy, of an electrical or electronics component. Furthermore,e.g. a thermal well may be implemented by a matrix of inlets through asubstrate, such as a PCB. Thermal wells may particularly advantageouslybe utilized in multilayer substrates. Examples of thermal slugs or padsmay comprise thermally conductive material arranged on a thin-shrinksmall-outline package (TSSOP) or on a quad-flat no-lead (QFN) package.

According to an embodiment, the electrical node 100 may comprise acircuit board, such as substrate 20, or an electrical element 12 havinga metal core or based on multilayer ceramics technology, such as hightemperature co-fired ceramics (HTCC) or low temperature co-firedceramics (LTCC), which may further provide cooling and/or heatingthrough thermal conduction.

According to an embodiment, the thermal management element(s) 35 may, inaddition to or instead of comprising dedicated element(s), be integratedwith a number of elements and/or components of the electrical node 100.For example, this may entail utilizing electrical conductors designedwith such properties, such as dimensions, that they function as athermal management element 35 or at least a portion thereof, such as aheat sink or thermally conductive element.

In various embodiments, the electrical node 100 may comprise a thermalmanagement element 35, such as at least one of the following: a heatsink, a thermal slug, a thermal well. The thermal management element 35may be arranged to remain fully or partly within the material 30 or atleast partly outside it, for example. The thermal management element 35may, additionally or alternatively, be arranged through the exterior ofthe node 100 via a cut or a through-hole, for instance. Furthermore, thethermal management element 35 may be arranged the extend through thesubstrate 20, if any. In some embodiments, the electrical connectingelement 16, as a part of the thermal management element 35, may compriseor consist of material having high thermal conductivity, such as ofthick copper conductors. The thermal management element 35 or elements35, such as heat pipes, may alternatively or additionally be arranged inconnection with the element 16 for operating as a heat sink or toconduct heat into or out of the electrical node 100.

In various embodiments, the electrical node 100 may comprise a thermallyconductive first material layer 30 to operate, in addition to being e.g.a protective layer, as a thermal management element 35. Still further,the first material layer 30 may be provided only partly, such as atcorresponding positions with heat generating components, such asprocessing units or resistors, by utilizing thermally conductivematerial while the rest of the first material layer 30 may be of othermaterial.

According to various embodiments in which the electrical node 100 hasbeen arranged on a host substrate or structure (see e.g. the structuresof FIGS. 3-8 and 14), the thermal management element(s) 35 of the node100 may have been arranged in thermal connection with external thermalmanagement element(s) 35 of the host substrate. For example, there maybe graphite or copper, such as pieces of graphite or copper tape,arranged on the host substrate with corresponding positions with theelectrical node 100. Still further, these thermally conductive elementscould extend along the host substrate to conduct heat away, for example,from the node 100.

In various embodiments comprising the electrical node 100 arranged on ahost substrate or structure, and comprising a molded or cast materiallayer on the node 100, at least part of the molded or cast materiallayer may be of thermally conductive material.

Elastic material layer 30 has been provided, preferably by molding suchas injection molding or casting, at least upon the first side of thesubstrate 20 so that the electrical element(s) 12, 14 and potentiallyfurther elements 25, 35 are at least partially if not substantiallyfully embedded in the concerned one or more materials of the layer 30.Accordingly, the material 30 defines a protective covering 10 upon thesubstrate 20. One could also consider it forming a body (fill) of thenode 100, potentially together with the included substrate(s) 20.

Depending on the used manufacturing method, materials and e.g. moldshapes, if any, the layer 30 and generally the node 100 may exhibit oneor more different shapes. For example, there may be the shape of arectangle, trapezoid, frustum, isosceles trapezoid, isosceles trapezoidwith shorter base facing the substrate film, isosceles trapezoid withlonger base facing the substrate film, rounded shape, rounded rectangle,rounded isosceles trapezoid, triangle, rounded triangle, semicircle,dome, convex, bell-shape, mushroom-shape, conical, semi-ellipse, anddroplet or column shape, to name a few.

Therefore, a skilled person shall realize the fact that the shownembodiment 100 with rounded rectangular shape is merely exemplary andstill merely exemplary further shapes are shown e.g. at 100 b and 100 c.

Yet, the illustrations 100, 100 b, 100 c further depict variousalternatives for aligning the borders of the material layer 30 and thesubstrate 20. As shown at 100, the first side on the substrate 20 onwhich the layer 30 has been configured may still remain free from thematerial of layer 30 e.g. at the periphery (near the edges) thereof.Alternatively, as sketched at 100 b, the layer 30 may go even beyond theedges of the substrate 20. As a further option as shown at 100 c, thelayer 30 and the substrate 20 could be aligned so that the layer 30basically covers the whole (first side of) the substrate 20 but does notessentially go beyond the edges thereof.

What has been stated above relative to FIG. 1 is applicable inconnection with the embodiments 200, 200 b, 200 c of FIG. 2 as well, andis therefore not unnecessarily repeated. FIG. 2 basically disclosesalternative side or cross-sectional shapes for the nodes. So, instead ofe.g. substantially rectangular shapes, various mushroom or trapezoidalsuch as isosceles trapezoidal shapes are applicable as well.

Any of the elements 12, 14, 16, 25, 35 may be of attachable or mountable(ready-made) type, or directly additively printable (screen printed,inkjetted, etc.) or otherwise producible upon a target surface such as asurface of the substrate 20, for example.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate schematically electrical nodes 300, 400according to further embodiments of the present invention. These nodes300, 400 may generally follow the basic principles of electrical nodesset forth hereinelsewhere, whereupon the related details are omittedhere to avoid unnecessary repetition. Yet, the figures have beensupplemented with some additional elements such a host substrate 60 thatmay accommodate one or more nodes 300, 400 and be further covered bye.g. cast or molded material layer(s) to come up with differentmultilayer structures discussed in more detail hereinlater in connectionwith the description of FIG. 6, for example.

As already mentioned above, a host substrate 60, such as a PCB or a filmtype substrate of e.g. plastic and/or organic material, may be providedand at least one electrical node 100 arranged thereon in addition topotential other elements such as electronics, optics, thermal managementelements, etc. The host substrate 60 preferably comprises electricalconnecting elements such as contacts or contact areas 61 provided withelectrically conductive material to which the electrical node 100 maybe, for example, attached by using conductive adhesive or solder, forexample. The elements 61 may be configured to co-operate with theconnecting elements 16 of the node 300 so as to provide desiredfunctional, or specifically electrical, connection between the internalssuch as embedded electronics of the node 300 and external circuits. Theelectrical node 300 is thus, in accordance with a related generalphilosophy, a component-like entity configured to perform one or severalfunctionalities depending on the included elements 12, 14. Theconnection between the node 300 and the host substrate 60, althoughshown as galvanic connection, may as well be arrangedelectromagnetically as capacitive or inductive (or optical) connectionand thus even wirelessly. Furthermore, the material layer 30 of theelectrical node 300 besides reducing detrimental effects of thermalexpansion differences between various elements, advantageously protectsthe components of in the cavity 15 when being overmolded by plasticand/or generally covered by further material, for instance.

The electrical node 400 in FIG. 4 is generally similar to one shown inFIG. 3 except that specific material or material layer 65 has beenprovided therewithin e.g. on the at least one electrical element 12 forreducing air pockets forming between the at least one electrical element12 and the first material layer 30. The material(s) 65 may differ fromthe one(s) of the primary fill (first layer) 30. The second materiallayer 65 may be covering the at least one electrical element 12, or atleast some of them, if many, and, optionally, also at least part of thesecond substrate 20. The second material layer 65 may comprise or be,for example, of very easy-flowing and thoroughly wetting material, suchas of liquid resin. The second material layer 65 may advantageously beused as a pre-filling material which flows into small gaps betweenelectrical elements 12, such as electronic components, and/or parts ofthe structure and, thus, simplifies the geometry and/or “smooths” thesurface(s) for facilitating the application of the first material layer30.

The second material layer 65 may be of or comprise material, or asimilar material, that is typically used in capillary underfill of ICcomponents, for example. The material layer 65 may, thus, be of amixture of liquid organic resin binder and inorganic fillers. Theorganic binder may comprise, for example, epoxy resin mix or cyanateester. Inorganic filler may include, for example, silica.

Even though not being explicitly shown, in some embodiments of anelectrical node a film or other type of additional layer could have beenprovided upon the material layer 30 e.g. for protective, optical (it maycontain a visual such as a graphical pattern, indicative and/or maskingfeatures) and/or attaching purposes using e.g. suitable lamination (e.g.pressure, heat, and/or adhesive) or molding technique. The additionallayer could thus define at least portion of the exterior of the node.

FIG. 5 illustrates schematically an electrical node strip or sheet typeembodiment of an assembly according to the present invention at 500.Yet, at 520, a sub-assembly that could be included in an electrical nodeis shown. A sub-assembly may contain e.g. a substrate such as circuitboard (e.g. PCB) of its own, called herein as sub-substrate. Yet, thesub-assembly may comprise various functional elements such as electroniccomponents and/or traces provided to the potential (sub-)substrate.

At 500, the representation illustrates e.g. an elongated substrate 20,60, such as a substrate film, which is configured to host multiple nodesor subassemblies 502, optionally in one or more recesses formed in thesubstrate 20, 60.

At 520, an embodiment of a sub-assembly utilizable in an electrical node100 is shown. The subassembly 520 may comprise a plurality of functionalelements such as one or more electrical elements 12, 14, preferablyincluding interconnected elements, forming an internal electricalcircuit of the sub-assembly. The sub-assembly may further comprise, forexample at the peripheral part thereof, inputs and/or outputs, in a formof electrical contact or generally electrical or electromagnetic, orother type of, connecting elements 16, such as for electrical power,ground, control signals, and/or (other) data. It should further benoted, however, that various different kinds of subassemblies orelectrical circuits having and/or configured to perform one or severalfunctionalities may be arranged into electrical nodes according todifferent embodiments of the present invention, being not limited to theelectrical circuit described hereinabove or depicted in the figure.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate schematically multilayer structures according torespective embodiments of the present invention.

A multilayer structure 600 may comprise at least one electrical node602. The features that may be included in such node and what kind ofoverall configuration and shape the node 602 could have, are discussedhereinelsewhere to reasonable extent in connection with the descriptionof different embodiments of the actual nodes, whereupon relatedconsiderations are omitted now to reduce unnecessary repetition andredundancy. Nevertheless, the structure 600 may comprise one or more,mutually different or similar (in terms of e.g. included elements and/orfunctionality) nodes 602 provided on a host substrate 60 such as asubstrate film, and e.g. a molded or cast, or otherwise produced,material layer 90 at least partially covering the electrical node(s)602. Two or more nodes could have been then e.g. electrically connectedtogether by intermediate features such as electrical conductors of acircuit design provided in the structure 600. Two or more nodes 602 mayhave been originally manufactured or afterwards mounted (thus containingtheir own, dedicated substrates as well) on a common substrate such asthe substrate 60.

As with the material 30, the material layer 90 may be at least partlyelectromagnetically or specifically, optically transparent ortranslucent having regard to selected wavelengths and thus e.g. visiblelight could travel through the layer 90 if considered beneficial e.g.from the standpoint of the operation of the multilayer structure (e.g.illumination or indicative function based on light) and/or node(s) 602included therein.

Furthermore, an optional layer such as a further substrate and/or film95, if any, could be provided and optionally configured, e.g. withcolored ink and/or (other) masking features, to define a number ofdecorative and/or functional elements, such as transparent ortranslucent windows, for at least locally passing light through, asemitted by external light source or a LED or other internal light sourceof the node 602 or generally of the structure 600, for instance.Generally the material of layer 95 could be substantially opaque,translucent or transparent having regard to selected wavelengths such asvisible light. As mentioned hereinelsewhere, besides light sources thenodes 602 and structures 600 may include light detectors or generallylight or radiation sensitive elements, whereupon they may prefer frombeing in optical or electromagnetic connection with the environmentoutside the concerned node 602 or even structure 600.

Yet, the structure 600 may host a number of elements such as electricalelements or specifically conductors such as traces 64 and/or electroniccomponents 55 provided (mounted, printed, etc.) on the host substrate 60and optionally at least partially also embedded in the layer 90, forinstance. At least some of such elements 55 may be functionally such aselectrically coupled to the node(s) 100, and e.g. element(s) 12 therein,via applicable connecting elements such as contacts and/or conductortraces, optionally defining at least a portion of a greater circuitdesign upon the host substrate 60, for example.

FIG. 7 illustrates schematically a further embodiment of the electricalnode 702 and multilayer structure 700, provided with a number ofapplicable thermal management features, or elements 35. In the shownembodiment, as with various other embodiments incorporating thermalmanagement elements, a thermal management element 35 may comprise a heatsink which may be optionally arranged at least partly, such as having aminor portion thereof, or about or over fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty,or ninety percent of the element (e.g. volume, area, and/or weight),outside the electrical node 702. However, in various embodiments theheat sink could be located at least partly inside the node 100 and/orspecifically the material layer 30. There may preferably be a thermalconduction path, such as one through an opening in the host substrate 60and/or the substrate 20, if any, between the thermal management element35 and electrical elements, such as the at least one electrical element12 arranged into the node 702 and generating heat when e.g. poweredand/or used. The thermal conduction path could additionally oralternatively comprise thermal conductive paste and/or thermallyconductive parts or layers essentially arranged in contact with eachother to form the path.

In various embodiments, thermal and electrical conduction paths may beat least partially arranged by at least one common element in additionto or instead of dedicated elements, such as a connector or conductorcomprising e.g. selected metal and/or other material, conducting bothheat and electricity. Furthermore, there may be thermally conductivematerial, e.g. graphite or copper, such as pieces of graphite or coppertape, arranged on the host substrate 60 and/or on an outer surface ofthe node 702. Optionally, a connecting element such as a connector ofthe node 702 connecting to an external circuit could host, be attachedto, or define at least portion of a thermal management element 35.

FIG. 8 illustrates schematically still a further embodiment 802 of theelectrical node, provided with a number of related thermal managementelements 35. The thermal management element 35 may be arranged byinjection molding with thermally conductive material. Such a thermalmanagement element 35 could be established by a two-shot moldingtechnique, for example. There may preferably be an opening, such as acut or the hole or through-hole in the node 802 such as in the substrate20 so that the material of the thermal management element 35, such as ofa heat sink or a heat pipe, gets close enough to the heat generatingelement of the node 802.

FIG. 9 illustrates, at 900, a flow diagram of a method according to anembodiment of the present invention. At the beginning of the method formanufacturing an electrical node, a start-up phase 902 may be executed.During start-up, a number of necessary tasks such as material, forexample substrates, component and tools selection, acquisition,calibration and other configuration tasks may take place. Specific caremust be taken that the individual elements and material selections worktogether and survive the selected manufacturing and installationprocess, which is naturally preferably checked up-front on the basis ofthe manufacturing process specifications and component data sheets, orby investigating and testing the produced prototypes, for example. Theused equipment such as molding/IMD (in-mold decoration), lamination,bonding, (thermo)forming, electronics assembly, cutting, drilling and/orprinting equipment, among others, may be thus ramped up to operationalstatus at this stage.

At 904, at least one substrate to be included in a node may be obtained.A substrate may include e.g. a plastic, potentially flexible, substratefilm or a PCB. According to one alternative, a substrate may be obtainedby manufacturing it from suitable source material(s), optionally byextrusion or e.g. injection molding. Preferably the substrate(s)comprise electrically insulating material but also e.g. compositesubstrates with heterogenous portions in terms of e.g. electricalconductivity and/or other properties may be utilized. The substrate(s)may be essentially planar, for example. In some embodiments, aready-made element of substrate material, e.g. a roll or sheet ofplastic film, may be acquired.

Optionally, the substrate is processed. It may be, for example, coated,drilled, cut and/or provided with openings, notches, recesses, holes,cuts, etc. as desired. The initial and/or resulting processed substratemay bear e.g. rectangular, square or circular shape. The substrate maybe either generally or at least selectively in places opaque,translucent or substantially transparent having regard to selectedfrequencies/wavelengths of light, such as the emissionfrequencies/wavelengths of a light source, or detectionfrequencies/wavelengths of a light detector, to be provided thereon. Thesubstrate may comprise thermoplastic material but as discussedhereinelsewhere, a great variety of mutually rather different materialsare applicable for use in substrates and other elements consideredherein.

Next, a number of functional elements may be provided to the substrate.

At 906, the substrate(s) may be provided with electrical wiring and/orgraphics, for instance. Printed electronics technology such as screenprinting, inkjetting, flexographic, gravure or offset lithographicprinting may be utilized for the purpose in addition to potential othermethods such as etching in connection with PCB type or alike substrates.A general circuit layout may be thus provided on the targetsubstrate(s).

For example, a number of conductive traces defining e.g. a number ofconductor lines of a desired circuit pattern or circuit design, and/orcontact pads (or other contact areas) for electrically couplingelectronic components are provided on the target substrate(s), Alsofurther actions cultivating the substrate film involving e.g. printingor other provision of color layers, graphics, visual indicators,electrical insulators, coatings, etc. may take place here.

At 908, a number of components such as electrical or electroniccomponents may be provided on the substrate(s) by mounting (e.g. SMDtype i.e. surface mount technology components) and/or additively byprinted electronics considering e.g. OLEDs. Adhesive (optionally e.g.electrically conductive one) and/or solder may be utilized for fasteningthe components, for instance.

Yet, a number of electromechanical or electro-optical elements may beprovided.

Additionally, a number of further features such as thermal managementelements (cooling elements etc.) comprising thermally conductivematerial could be provided at this stage and/or later to the node underconstruction. For example, a heat sink, thermal slug or thermal wellcould be provided.

Item 920 refers to optional forming of any of the substrates to renderthem into desired 3D shape when applicable. For example, thermoformingmay be utilized. Alternatively, forming could take place prior toprovision of e.g. components 908 on the concerned substrate, but in thatcase 3D assembly would be required to subsequently install ready-madecomponents or other elements on the already three-dimensional target.

In more detail, in some embodiments the substrate film(s) and/or otherfilm(s) to be included in the node or a hosting multilayer structure mayindeed be formed to exhibit a desired 3d-shape (at least locally asubstantially non-planar shape), preferably through thermoforming suchas vacuum or pressure forming. Also cold forming may be applicable.Having regard to forming techniques, e.g. the aforesaid pressure formingmay be applied to provide the substrate with precise, sharp details;pressure forming may also be generally preferred when the substratelacks (through-)holes that could enable undesired flow and resultingpressure drop via them. Forming may be applied to provide e.g. a recessin a substrate for at least partly accommodating one or more functionalelements of a node and optionally material of the first material layer.Even several such recesses could be formed in a common substrate. Asingle node could then incorporate regions of one or more recesses on asubstrate that may be dedicated to the node. Yet, a common substratecould be provided with several recesses, each relating to a separatenode, which could be still at least functionally mutually connected bye.g. overall circuit design comprising electrical conductors connectingto the nodes.

Yet, it is possible to provide an already integrated sub-assembly ofelectronics/sub-substrates (e.g. PCBs, printed circuit boards, alreadysupplied with electronic component(s)) to any of the substrates andsecure it by adhesive (optionally conductive) and/or solder, forinstance. An electrical node, while itself ultimately being anintegrated sub-assembly, may incorporate one or more constituentsub-assemblies as included electrical elements thereof.

At 910, one or more materials constituting at least the first materiallayer (i.e. primary fill) of the node are provided preferably in apre-solidified state upon and/or into the substrate, essentiallyembedding at least portion of various elements such as traces and/orcomponents provided at items 906 and 908 therewithin to establish anintegrated electrical node subsequent to solidification, optionallyincorporating thermal, optical and/or pressure curing, of thematerial(s). Different embodiments for carrying out item 910 areillustrated in FIGS. 10-14 and described in more detail in the relatedtext. Supplementary fill materials may be provided next if not alreadyprovided prior to the primary fill. Different materials may also bealternately provided. One or more internal cavities such as opticalconduits may be formed e.g. by alternating materials (e.g.transparent/translucent material vs opaque material or a material withhigher refractive index vs a material with lower refractive index sothat e.g. total internal reflection based propagation of light may occurat the interface thereof) within the node for conveying light or otherpurposes. Yet, the first material layer may include a base materialprovided with one or more fillers having desired functionalities asdiscussed hereinelsewhere.

Item 911 may refer to preparation activities regarding item 910 such asprovision of possible guiding structures on the substrate to limit theflow of the material(s) of the first material layer.

At this stage or at item 912 (if not already at 908, for example) themethod may further comprise providing at least one e.g. electricalcontact or connecting element to the electrical node. The element 16 maybe electrically connected to the at least one functional such aselectrical element 12. The element 16 may be configured for providing adesired electrical or electromagnetic connection, such as galvanic,capacitive or inductive, if not optical, connection, into the node 100,especially from outside the node 100, e.g. from a host structure or ahost substrate. This may entail, for example, having electrical contactpads 16 which may be optionally later attached, such as soldered or byusing conductive adhesive, to electrical contact elements of a hostsubstrate, such as a PCB or (plastic) film, for instance. According tovarious embodiments, the element 16 may be arranged at a peripheralportion of the node or specifically e.g. substrate or fill therein, forproviding electrical connection into the node 100. Instead of oraddition to electrical connection and connection element(s),electromagnetic coupling such as inductive or capacitive couplingcapable connection element(s) could be provided in the form of e.g.corresponding coupling loops.

One or more nodes and supplementary further elements such as thermalmanagement elements, (electronic) components and/or traces may be thusprovided to a common host substrate. For example, adhesive may beutilized for the purpose and dispensed in desired locations of the hostand/or a node or other element for securing the node/element to thehost. As alluded to above, in some embodiments the adhesive may beelectrically conductive to provide electrical connectivity in additionto mechanical fastening properties.

One or more nodes and optionally further elements provided and/ororiginally established on a common substrate may be selectively coveredby e.g. molded or cast material, coating, film, etc. to establish adesired integral multilayer structure as described hereinelsewhere, forinstance.

Indeed, in addition to or instead of node-integrated thermal managementelements such elements may be provided e.g. on a host substrate of amultilayer structure outside any electrical node, either after provisionof the nodes or prior to it.

A feature such as a connector, other connecting element or a conductormay in some embodiments, besides its other or possible “primary”function, have also e.g. a thermal management function as discussedhereinearlier, which may be taken into account in the design of thefeature having regard to e.g. material selection (for instance, bothelectrically and thermally conductive material such as a suitable metalmay be used) and shape/dimensions.

At 914, method execution is ended.

FIG. 10 illustrates, at 1000, manufacturing an electrical node accordingto an embodiment of the present invention generally utilizing a mold forthe provision of the fill material.

At least one substrate 20, provided with a number of desired elementssuch as electrical elements 12, 14, connecting elements 16 and/orthermal management elements, may be arranged in a desired orientationinto a receptacle defined by a mold 1007. Options to position asubstrate 20 into the mold 1007 such that the elements provided on aside thereof face either towards the bottom of the receptacle or theopening on the opposite side have been illustrated in the figure bybroken lines. The elastic material 30 to at least partially embed one ormore of the elements, if not all the elements, has been provided in thereceptacle upfront and/or is provided afterwards in a flowing state.Solidification of the material may be assisted or guided e.g. thermallyor by pressure, depending on curing characteristics thereof, forexample. After solidification the established node may be removed fromthe mold 1007, or the mold 1007 removed from around the node optionallyby breaking it in case the mold 1007 is of disposable type. How the nodeis oriented on a host substrate, may be determined case specifically. Inthe illustrated case, the node could be positioned so that a shorterbase or a longer base of the established substantially isoscelesparallelogram shape contacts the host, for example.

A skilled person will readily apprehend the fact that in variousembodiments of the node, the elements of the node such as electricalelements 12, 14, connecting elements 16 or thermal management elementsmay be positioned in the node, besides taking possible manufacturingrelated constraints into account, based on the intended later alignmentof the node relative to a host substrate to ensure that the elements canfunction as desired when installed at the host.

FIG. 11 illustrates, at 1100, an embodiment of an optionallysubstantially continuous type manufacturing method in accordance withthe present invention. At 1102, elements including electrical elementssuch as traces, components, contact pads, etc. for (subassemblies of) anumber of nodes may be provided on an optionally continuous or sharedsubstrate 20 by applicable mounting and/or printing techniques, forinstance. The substrate 20 may have been positioned on a moving belt,for example. At 1104, the material 30 of the first material layer isapplied, optionally by curtain coating, onto the substrate and thenshaped, at 1106, according to a desired target shape of the electricalnode and related protective covering 10, optionally utilizing a rolleror plate type mold 1107, e.g. a multi-cavity mold. At 1108, a number ofprocessing tasks may be executed to a resulting assembly. For instance,in the case of multi-node assembly, it (or at least the shared substrate20) may be cut into smaller pieces, each defining an electrical node.

FIG. 12 illustrates, at 1200, a further embodiment of a manufacturingmethod in accordance with the present invention. Here the material 30 ofthe first material layer is provided in a flowable form e.g. via adispensing nozzle 1202 onto the at least one electrical element,possible other element(s) and the substrate, whereupon the material isat least partially let to naturally establish its final shape definingthe protective covering according to at least flow properties thereof.

FIG. 13 illustrates, at 1300, still a further embodiment of amanufacturing method in accordance with the present invention. Materialof the first material layer is provided in a flowable form onto the atleast one electrical element and the substrate, wherein the substratehas been pre-prepared with at least one, permanent or temporary, guidingstructure 30 b, optionally comprising a frame, to controllably limitmaterial flow on the substrate and define the shape of the protectivefill and covering.

Also in the embodiments of FIGS. 11-13, guided or assisted curing, e.g.by light, can be utilized depending on the characteristics of thematerial 30.

FIG. 14 illustrates additional embodiments of an electrical node andrelated applicable manufacturing methods. As apprehended by a personskilled in the art, different manufacturing methods presented herein maybe mutually flexibly and selectively combined and/or supplemented withother solutions.

At 1400, a substrate 20 is shown with an electrical element 20 and(electrical) connecting elements, such as springs, other elasticelements or rods, 31 provided thereon.

At 1402 and 1402B, two different molds 1407, 1407B are shown, the lattercomprising a feature such as a recess for accommodating at least portionof the substrate 20 so that when the material 30 is provided in the mold1407B, it still at least partly embeds e.g. the electrical element 12 asin 1402 but not the substrate, not at least completely. The far-ends ofthe elements 31 may be left or processed free from the material 30 inboth embodiments.

Accordingly, as shown at 1404 and 1404B, a corresponding node may beobtained (removed from the mold/mold removed and preferably flipped)that has the integrated element(s) such as the substrate 20 at leastpartially visible and/or not fully embedded in the material 30.Accordingly, the elements that have not been fully embedded, mayestablish at least portion of the exterior of the concerned node. Thisapproach may facilitate obtaining nodes that benefit from having atleast part of the substrate and/or one or more other elements such aselectrical and/or thermal management elements non-embedded andinterfacing, for example, the environment of the node. The benefits mayrelate to interaction such as measurements or communication relative tothe environment, or e.g. thermal management such as cooling ofintegrated elements such as electronics in the node.

At 1406 and 1408, the nodes are provided on a larger host orspecifically host surface or host substrate 60 of a host structure suchas host device. The elements 31 may at this point connect the embeddedcircuit and related electrical elements 12 to an external circuit of thehost structure or circuit reachable via the host structure. Element 20Brefers to a substrate that may be optionally provided to the node 1404,1404B to define, for example, contact surface thereof towards externalstructures such as the host substrate 60. The element 20B may beprovided with one or more features such as through-holes or electricallyconductive vias/wiring to enable electrical connection between theelements 31 and external structure such as circuit of the host substrate60.

In FIG. 15, it is generally but still merely exemplarily illustrated, ashereinbefore discussed that in some embodiments a substrate 20, 60 maycontain or define a hole or recess 1510, which is configured toaccommodate at least portion of one or more functional elements of orfor a node 1502, 1504, such as electrical elements 12, 14. Yet, theaccommodated elements may basically refer to any of e.g. afore-discussedconnecting elements 16, 61 especially in the case of the substrate shownalready being the (node) host 60 of a greater host structure. The firstmaterial layer 30 may have been provided onto the elements so that itfurther fills up at least portion of the remaining recess 1510.

When desired, an essentially flush surface may be obtained so that therecess-provided element(s) 12, 14, 16, 61 and optionally the materiallayer 30 define a substantially even surface with the areas defining therecess/hole (top) edges of the substrate 20, 60.

A common substrate such as host substrate 60 may be provided withseveral recesses so that each of them is associated with a separate nodeand thus accommodates related elements 12, 14, 16, 61 and e.g. fillmaterial layer 30. Any of these several nodes at the respectivelocations of the recesses 1510 could be directly manufactured upon thecommon substrate such that they lack a dedicated substrate 20 of theirown; in this and similar scenarios the nodes might thus have one or morealready initially shared or common elements such as the substrate 60.Alternatively, any of the nodes could be at least partiallypre-manufactured and only after then installed in their location on acommon substrate such as host substrate 60 of a host structure eitherprior to or subsequent to formation of concerned recesses 1510.

The hole or recess 1510 may be produced in the substrate 20, 60 upfront,or as illustrated, subsequent to provision of at least some of thefunctional elements such as elements 12, 14 of the node 1502, 1504thereto. 3D forming of the substrate is considered one feasible optionfor producing the recess 1510 whereas subtractive techniques to locallyremove substrate material may be applicable as well e.g. in scenarioswherein the substrate is sufficiently thick and enables removal ofmaterial therefrom, or a through-hole is actually desired therein.

Embodiment 1502 shows functional elements such as electrical elements inthe form of components 12 and traces 14 or e.g. connecting elements 16,61 mounted or directly manufactured, e.g. printed, to the substrate 20,60 at a location provided with, preferably by subsequent 3D forming suchas thermoforming of, a recess 1510 so as to position the elementstherein. Yet, fill material 30 has been provided to at least partiallycover and embed the elements.

In the embodiment 1504 it is shown a pre-manufactured sub-assembly typeof an element 12, with a (sub-)substrate 20B of its own (e.g. PCB orplastic film) and a number of features such as (electronic) components12B and conductors 14B including e.g. traces and contact pads. Likewise,the sub-assembly type element 12 has been provided onto the substrate20, 60 (optionally provided with a number of further electrical elements12, 14 and preferably provided with suitable fastening or at leastfunctional connection such as electrical connection providing features16, 61 such as electrically conductive adhesive, non-conductiveadhesive, solder, electrical contact pads, electromagnetic couplingfeatures, or alike) in the recess 1510 established in the substrate 20,60 preferably by 3D forming.

In some embodiments, e.g. a protective cap element 21 such as a(plastic) film may be optionally provided to at least partially coverthe recess/hole 1510. The element 21 may have desired structural,material and/or other properties. For example, optically it 21 maylocally or generally be opaque and/or transparent having regard toselected wavelengths. Electrically it 21 may be insulating or conductiveeither in desired places only or generally. The element 21 may beconfigured to define or host further features such as (printed) graphicsand/or electrical features such as conductors or components. A materiallayer 90 such as molded or cast material layer may again be provided ontop of the included node(s) notwithstanding the potential presence ofelement 21. Supplementary feature(s) such as an additional layer orparticularly a film (see e.g. item 95 of FIG. 6) could be provided onlayer 90, not explicitly shown in FIG. 15 in favor of clarity.

Thus, based on the foregoing it becomes clear to a skilled person thatdepending on the embodiment, the electrical node in accordance with thepresent invention may be connected to a host substrate either via thesubstrate hosting the embedded electrical elements (typically via thesecond side that is opposite to the first side provided with the elasticmaterial layer) or via the elastic material layer itself and/or, forexample, via an additional feature such as an additional substrate orother connecting facilitating feature provided onto the elastic layer.

A system comprising at least one electrical node as described herein(the included nodes may be mutually similar or different in terms ofconstruction, materials, included elements and/or relatedfunctionalities or functional configuration/role) may be provided. Inthe system, the at least one node may be, optionally removably, attachedto an external (host) device, material and/or structure (to hostsurface/substrate provided therein) which may have been provided withconnecting feature(s) such as mechanical and/or electrical connectingelements for the node. The nodes of the system may be configured tocommunicate with each other and/or with other circuitry of the system orwith a circuit that is at least reachable, e.g. communications-wise, viathe system. Yet, a node may be powered or driven by the circuitry of thesystem.

For any external (host) device or structure, the at least one node mayprovide a desired functionality such as a sensing function, processingfunction, control function, power transfer function, data storagefunction, indication, communication and/or user interface (UI) function.The at least one node and e.g. at least one electrical element such aselectronic component therein may be functionally such as electrically,electromagnetically, thermally or optically connected to an element suchas electronic component of the external device or structure e.g. via oneor more connecting elements including e.g. a number of conductivetraces, pins, pads, connectors, wiring and/or cabling. Additional oralternative wireless (e.g. radio frequency) coupling is possible as wellthrough implementing a selected wireless transfer technology and relatedelements (transmitter, receiver, transceiver). The at least one node andthe element of the external device or structure may be configured tofunction cooperatively and thus establish a desired joint entity.

In some embodiments the multilayer structure may comprise a hostsubstrate comprising formable such as thermoformable material that maybe utilized or have been utilized to establish a desiredthree-dimensional shape through forming. The (formed) host substrate maybe configured to accommodate the electrical nodes. Forming of the hostsubstrate into a desired 3D-shape may take place prior to and/orsubsequent to provision of features such as electrical nodes and/orother features thereon.

As deliberated hereinbefore, in various embodiments of the system or amultilayer structure as its one realization, e.g. molded or castmaterial layer comprising e.g. thermoplastic material may be provided onthe host substrate, thus embedding at least portion of at least one ofsaid one or more electrical nodes and/or other features such as furtherelectrical elements (e.g. electronics including electronic component(s),for instance) provided thereon. The multilayer structure may indeedcomprise a number of additional features such as electrical elementsand/or thermal management elements provided to the host substrate and/orother layer of the structure and further optionally functionally, suchas electrically and/or thermally, connected with at least one of saidone or more electrical nodes to establish a desired connection for e.g.control, power, heat or data transfer purposes therebetween.

According to an embodiment, the electrical element 12 may comprise aprocessing unit, such as a microcontroller, signal processor or aprocessor. By arranging the processing unit into the node 100, access tothe processing unit at least directly via its pins can be prevented.There can be arranged further components into the node through which theaccess is possible and which may include proprietary software andselected protocols for controlled access.

In various embodiments of the node, various signals emitted, receivedand/or processed by it (e.g. by the electrical element 12) may compriseat least one element selected from the group consisting of: electricalsignal, electromagnetic signal, optical signal, current, voltage, powersignal, digital signal, analogue signal, analogue electrical signal,digital electrical signal, control signal and (other) data signal.

According to one embodiment, the node or a related system/multilayerstructure may be used in a security tag for clothing. Yet it may easilyfind use e.g. in connection with vehicles (e.g. in-vehicle electronics),lighting devices, wearable electronics, computing or communicationdevices, consumer electronics, measurement devices, and various otherproducts.

In various embodiments, one or more, typically ready-made, components orelements including electronic components such as various SMDs may beattached or provided on film(s), PCBs or other substrate(s) e.g. bysolder and/or adhesives. Alternatively or additionally, printedelectronics technology may be applied to actually manufacture at leastpart of the components, such as OLEDs, directly onto the film(s) orother substrate(s).

Generally and as also discussed hereinelsewhere, the electrical element12 may be provided on a substrate utilizing any feasible positioning orinstallation technique such as standard pick and place method/equipment(when applicable). Applicable bonding (using e.g. adhesive or otherbonding substance), gluing, and/or further securing techniques may beadditionally utilized. Furthermore, the electrical element 12 may beprinted, injection molded or dip molded.

In various embodiments, the electrical element 12 and/or other featuresof the node, of a hosting multilayer structure or of other type of anode-integrating system may comprise or define at least one elementselected from the group consisting of: electronic component,electromechanical component, electro-optical component,radiation-emitting component, light-emitting component, LED(light-emitting diode), OLED (organic LED), side-shooting LED or otherlight source, top-shooting LED or other light source, bottom-shootingLED or other light source, radiation detecting component (detector),light-detecting or light-sensitive component (detector), photodiode,phototransistor, photovoltaic device, light source driver circuit, LEDdriver circuit, sensor, micromechanical component, switch, touch switch,touch panel, proximity switch, touch sensor, atmospheric sensor,temperature sensor, pressure sensor, moisture sensor, gas sensor,proximity sensor, capacitive switch, capacitive sensor, projectedcapacitive sensor or switch, single-electrode capacitive switch orsensor, capacitive button, multi-electrode capacitive switch or sensor,self-capacitance sensor, mutual capacitive sensor, inductive sensor,sensor electrode, micromechanical (MEMS) component, UI element, userinput element, vibration element, sound producing element, communicationelement, transmitter, receiver, transceiver, antenna, resonator,infrared (IR) receiver or transmitter, wireless communication element,wireless tag, radio tag, tag reader, data processing element, datastorage or memory element, electronic sub-assembly, light directingelement, lightguide, lens and reflector. In case a sensor requiringfunctional connection with the environment is arranged e.g. within thenode, the connection may be further provided thereto (e.g. fluidic,optical and/or electrical connection as also contemplated hereinbefore).

The node or the multilayer structure may thus incorporate electronicssuch as IC(s) and/or various components. At least part of theelectronics of the multilayer structure 300 may be provided via anelectrical node. Optionally, the node and/or one or more other elementssuch as electronic components or thermal management elements of themultilayer structure may be at least partially overmolded by aprotective plastic layer as discussed hereinbefore. For example,adhesive, pressure, mechanical fixing features, and/or heat may be usedfor mechanical bonding of the node with a substrate, for instance.Solder, wiring and conductive ink are examples of applicable options forproviding electrical connections between the elements of the nodesand/or the hosting multilayer structure, and with the remainingelectrical elements, such as electronic components, in the structure300. The hosting multilayer structure may in turn be operativelyconnected to an external system either wirelessly (e.g.electromagnetically) or wiredly (e.g. electrical wiring, cabling, etc.)

Regarding the resulting overall thickness of the obtained electricalnode, related assembly such as a strip or sheet, and/or the multilayerstructure, it depends e.g. on the used materials and related minimummaterial thicknesses providing the necessary strength in view of themanufacturing and subsequent use. These aspects have to be considered oncase-by-case basis. For example, the overall thickness of the structurecould be about 1 mm or a few millimetres, but considerably thicker orthinner embodiments are also feasible.

Further layers may be added, especially, to the multilayer structure bylamination or suitable coating (e.g. deposition) procedure. The layersmay be of protective, indicative and/or aesthetic value (graphics,colors, figures, text, numeric data, etc.) and contain e.g. textile,leather or rubber materials instead of or in addition to furtherplastics. Additional elements such as electronics may be installed atthe outer surface(s) of the structure, such as the exterior surface ofthe substrate. A connector element for implementing e.g. electricalconnection may be provided to the node (e.g. interface or connector typeof a node) or structure and connected to a desired external connectingelement such as external connector and/or connector cable of an externaldevice, system or structure. For example, these two connectors maytogether form a plug-and-socket type connection.

In various additional or supplementary embodiments, e.g. any substrate20, 60, optionally of a film type, may comprise or consist ofmaterial(s) such as plastics, e.g. thermoplastic polymer, and/or organicor biomaterials with reference to e.g. wood, leather or fabric, or acombination of any of these materials with each other or with plasticsor polymers or metals. The substrate may comprise or consist ofthermoplastic material. The substrate may be essentially flexible orbendable. In some embodiments, the substrate may alternatively besubstantially rigid. The thickness of the film may vary depending on theembodiment; it may only be of few tens or hundreds of a millimeter, orconsiderably thicker, in the magnitude of one or few millimeter(s), forexample.

The substrate may, for example, comprise at least one material selectedfrom the group consisting of: polymer, thermoplastic material,electrically insulating material, PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate), PolyCarbonate (PC), copolyester, copolyester resin, polyimide, a copolymerof Methyl Methacrylate and Styrene (MS resin), glass, PolyethyleneTerephthalate (PET), carbon fiber, organic material, biomaterial,leather, wood, textile, fabric, metal, organic natural material, solidwood, veneer, plywood, bark, tree bark, birch bark, cork, naturalleather, natural textile or fabric material, naturally grown material,cotton, wool, linen, silk, and any combination of the above.

As also mentioned hereinbefore, in various embodiments material(s) ofthe substrate and/or of further layer(s) may at least partially beoptically substantially opaque or at least translucent having regard topredefined wavelengths e.g. in visible spectrum. This is also applicableto the molded or cast material layer 90. The concerned element such as afilm type substrate, coating or other layer, optionally defining atleast portion of the exterior (surface) of the node or multilayerstructure, or being at least visible or otherwise perceivabletherethrough, may have been provided with a number of visuallydistinguishable, decorative/aesthetic and/or informative, features suchas graphical pattern and/or color thereon or therein. The features mayhave been provided on the same side of the substrate with the electricalelement 12 so that they have been also at least partially sealed, or onthe opposite side and thus may or may not be sealed by the plasticmaterial(s) through the associated overmolding procedure of theelectrical node, for instance. Accordingly, IML (in-mold labeling)/IMD(in-mold decoration) technique is applicable. The used materials may beat least partially, i.e. at least in places, optically substantiallytransparent to radiation such as visible light emitted by theelectronics thereon. The transmittance may be about 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%or higher, for example.

The molded or cast material(s) may comprise thermoplastic and/orthermosetting material(s). Thickness of the molded or otherwise producedlayer(s) may vary depending on the embodiment. It may be, for example,in the order of magnitude of less than one, one, few or tens ofmillimeters. The material(s) may be e.g. electrically insulating.

In more detail, an included layer such as layer 90 may comprise at leastone material selected from the group consisting of: elastomeric resin,thermoset material, thermoplastic material, PC, PMMA, ABS, PET,copolyester, copolyester resin, nylon (PA, polyamide), PP(polypropylene), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), polystyrene (GPPS),TPSiV (thermoplastic silicone vulcanizate), and MS resin.

In various additional or supplementary embodiments, a number of elements12, conductors 14 and/or connection/contact elements 16, such as pads,comprise at least one material selected from the group consisting of:conductive ink, conductive nanoparticle ink, copper, steel, iron, tin,aluminium, silver, gold, platinum, conductive adhesive, carbon fibre,alloy, silver alloy, zinc, brass, titanium, solder, and any componentthereof. The used conductive materials may be optically opaque,translucent and/or transparent at desired wavelengths, such as visiblelight, so as to mask or let the radiation such as visible light to bereflected therefrom, absorbed therein or let through, for instance.

In various embodiments, selected features including also e.g. graphics,coloring or other visual features may be provided on internal surfacesor layers of the nodes. Accordingly, different impacts, rubbing,chemicals, etc. that could easily damage e.g. painted, printed ormounted surface features do not affect or reach the embedded/non-surfacefeatures. Relating covering layers such as film(s) or the elastic (fill)material(s) may be manufactured or processed, optionally cut, carved,etched or drilled into a desired shape with necessary characteristicssuch as holes or notches for exposing the underlying features such asmaterial layers or e.g. electrical elements to a selected extent to theenvironment.

The scope of the present invention is determined by the attached claimstogether with the equivalents thereof. A person skilled in the art willappreciate the fact that the dis-closed embodiments were constructed forillustrative purposes only, and other arrangements applying many of theabove principles could be readily prepared to best suit each potentialuse scenario. For instance, instead of or in addition to molding orcasting material layers, a layer could be prepared up-front and thenattached to a substrate (e.g. host substrate 60) by suitable laminationtechnique applying e.g. adhesive, mechanical attachment means (screws,bolts, nails, etc.), pressure and/or heat. Finally, in some scenarios,instead of molding or casting, the plastic or other layer could beproduced on the target substrate(s) using a suitable deposition or afurther alternative method. Instead of or in addition to embeddedelectrical or specifically electronic elements such as conductors orelectronic components, functional nodes could be constructed asdiscussed herein without embedded strictly electrical features buthaving e.g. essentially or purely chemical or mechanical function ornature. Yet, such nodes could still be included in IMSE structures, forinstance.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A multilayer structure comprising: at leastone electrical node including: a substrate for accommodating at leastone functional element, the substrate having a first side and anopposite second side, the at least one functional element including atleast one electronic component and at least one conductive traceconnected thereto, the at least one functional element provided to thesubstrate and projecting from the first side of the substrate; at leastone material layer forming a protective covering at least upon the atleast one functional element, the first side of the substrate, andopposing first and second lateral sides of the substrate, the at leastone material layer including elastic material and being arranged toreduce at least one of thermal expansion or mechanical deformationrelated stresses between one or more elements included in the at leastone electrical node, adjacent the at least one electrical node, or atleast at a proximity thereto; and a thermal management element extendingthrough an opening of the substrate and having a first portion disposedat the first side of the substrate and covered by the at least onematerial layer of the at least one electrical node, and a second portiondisposed at the second side of the substrate; and an external structureincluding: a host substrate supporting the at least one electrical nodethereon; and a plastic material layer produced on the host substrate andthe at least one electrical node, thereby at least partially embeddingat least the at least one material layer of the at least one electricalnode therein.
 2. The multilayer structure according to claim 1, whereinthe host substrate abuts the second side of the substrate.
 3. Themultilayer structure according to claim 1, wherein the host substrate isconnected to the second side of the substrate.
 4. The multilayerstructure according to claim 1, wherein the at least one material layeris disposed on the first side of the substrate without covering thesecond side of the substrate.
 5. The multilayer structure of claim 1,wherein the substrate defines a recess or hole accommodating at least aportion of the at least one functional element.
 6. The multilayerstructure of claim 1, wherein the at least one material layer has acoefficient of thermal expansion falling in a range between about 1 and300 ppm/K.
 7. The multilayer structure of claim 1, wherein the at leastone material layer is thermally conductive.
 8. The multilayer structureof claim 1, wherein the at least one material layer is at least one oftransparent or colorless.
 9. The multilayer structure of claim 1,wherein the thermal management element is in thermal communication withthe at least one electrical node.
 10. The multilayer structure of claim1, wherein the at least one material layer includes a first materiallayer and a second material layer.
 11. The multilayer structureaccording to claim 2, wherein the at least one material layer isdisposed on the first side of the substrate.
 12. The multilayerstructure of claim 5, wherein the recess or hole of the substratefurther accommodates at least a portion of the at least one materiallayer.
 13. The multilayer structure of claim 9, wherein the thermalmanagement element includes at least one of a cooling element or aheating element.
 14. The multilayer structure of claim 10, wherein thefirst and second material layers are fabricated from a differentmaterial.
 15. A method for manufacturing a multilayer structure, themethod comprising: obtaining a substrate having a first side and anopposite second side, at least one functional element being coupled tothe substrate; and providing at least one material layer in apre-solidified state upon the at least one functional element and uponopposing first and second lateral sides of the substrate and at least aportion of the first side of the substrate to establish an integratedelectrical node that includes the substrate, the at least one functionalelement, and the at least one material layer, a thermal managementelement having a first portion covered by the at least one materiallayer of the at least one electrical node, and a second portion disposedexternally of the at least one material layer, the thermal managementelement extending through an opening the substrate such that the firstportion of the thermal management element is disposed at the first sideof the substrate and the second portion of the thermal managementelement is disposed at the second side of the substrate; attaching theintegrated electrical node to a host substrate of an external structure;and producing a plastic material layer upon the integrated electricalnode and the host substrate, thereby at least partially embedding atleast the at least one material layer of the integrated electrical nodetherein, wherein the plastic material layer is transparent.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the at least one material layer, in asolidified state, includes an elastic material arranged to reducemechanical deformation related stresses between one or more elementsincluded in the integrated electrical node, adjacent the integratedelectrical node, or at least at a proximity thereto.
 17. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the plastic material layer is produced directly uponthe integrated electrical node and the host substrate.
 18. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the at least one material layer is disposed on thefirst side of the substrate and the host substrate is disposed on thesecond side of the substrate.
 19. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising providing a second substrate to a side of the at least onematerial layer that is substantially opposite to a side facing thesubstrate.